LAURINBURG — Incumbent Judge Mike Stone is the confirmed winner of his North Carolina District Court 16A seat, while challenger Chuck Stuber conceded to incumbent Beth Wood for North Carolina’s auditor.
After the recount, Stone still outpolled challenger Angela Carter, according to the North Carolina State Board of Elections website.
The local recount was requested by Carter, however, no changes in the vote totals were made during the recount, according Dell Parker, Scotland County Board of Elections director, said Friday. The Scotland County Board of Elections finished it vote recount on Thursday afternoon.
Stone got 25,611 votes while Carter received 25,372 votes across the district that includes Scotland, Hoke, Richmond and Anson counties. In Scotland County, Stone received 6,277 votes and Carter got 5,045 votes, which was confirmed by the recount.
Stuber, a Republican, made his formal recount request on Tuesday to the State Board of Elections and conceded Friday morning after the recount showed he had lost to his opponent Beth Wood by 6,054 votes.
Democratic incumbent Wood lead Stuber, a former FBI agent, by almost 6,000 votes from 4.5 million cast after all counties completed their tabulations.
A mandatory recount is granted when the statewide margin is 10,000 votes or less.
“The statewide recount is almost over, and it appears my campaign will come up short on the vote count,” Stuber said in a statement on Friday. “I want to offer my congratulations to State Auditor Beth Wood and wish her the best on her next term in office. My entire professional career has been one of public service, and I hope I will have the opportunity to serve the citizens of North Carolina again in some capacity in the future.”
The State Board of Elections website shows Wood with a total of 2,259,383 votes to Stuber’s 2,253,390 votes in November’s general election.
Wood won Scotland County with 7,780 vote compared to Stuber, who had 5,157 votes. Wood is the first woman to serve as state auditor. She was first elected to the post in 2009.